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Robert Rhuda
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| Birth: |
Aug. 16, 1941 |
| Death: |
Jul. 29, 1967
z-*North Vietnam *Delete*, Vietnam |
United States Navy Aviation Boatswain's Handler Third. He was killed in action aboard the USS Forrestal when a Zuni rocket accidentally fired from an F-4 Phantom parked on the starboard side of the flight deck. It streaked across the deck into fuel tank on a parked A-4D Skyhawk wich ignited spreading flames over the flight deck caused ordinance to explode and other rockets to ignite. The flames spread by the wind engulfed the flight deck into a blazing inferno. He was one of one hundred and thirty-four men to lose their lives in this incident.
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Burial:
East Cemetery
Manchester
Hartford County
Connecticut, USA |
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Nancy Snow West
thanks for your service & sacrifice; rest in peace, Robert!! His Find A Grave #116919261, is below. It was updated 6/16/2015, as a person took photos of his marker & entered it on his page.
Thomas R. Moore Jr.
I did not know Robert Rhuda in high school but do know that his name is etched on a memorial tribute in Manchester for those lost in the Viet Nam War and on “The Wall” in Washington, DC. He was killed in a fire and subsequent explosions onboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal which was sailing in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Viet Nam. The Executive Officer of Robert’s squadron reports that after the initial explosion on the deck a general alarm (“All Hands Man Your Battle Stations”) was sounded and Robert and his shipmates left their compartment and started to make their way topside. At that time Robert was heard to say, “Wait a minute, I need to go back in there and make sure all the men get up.” He turned and went back into the compartment. It was the last time he was seen alive. As Executive Officer Tommy C. Wimberly states, “Robert Rhuda indeed died a hero. He died because he went back to look after the safety of his shipmates.”A footnote to the tragedy is that on deck there were several aircraft waiting to launch and attack North Viet Nam. An A-4 Skyhawk fighter exploded and its pilot was lost. Next to this plane another A-4 was becoming engulfed in flames. The pilot of this aircraft, LCDR John McCain, was able to escape the inferno and make his was to safety. Three months later in October of 1967 McCain was shot down over North Viet Nam and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton. He later went on to become a US Senator and a presidential nominee.
Robert I Salute You: Tom Moore
Nancy Snow West
Killed on board the USS Forrestal.
Family links:
Parents:
Wesley Richard Rhuda (1918 - 1994)
Lucienne A Rhuda (1917 - 1999)
East Cemetery
Manchester
Hartford County
Connecticut, USA
Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]
Created by: Paul Renfro
Record added: Sep 11, 2013
Find A Grave Memorial# 116919261
Added by: nancy snow west
Added by: Mitzi
Added by: Mitzi
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- Mary Lou McCormick
Added: May. 25, 2015
- JARROTT P. COX
Added: Jan. 20, 2015
- Mary Lou McCormick
Added: Jul. 29, 2014
Pati Daub Lewis
Thank you for your service and your ultimate sacrifice to your men and our lives. That war was so long ago but for those of us who lived it, it seems like it was only yesterday. Your memory will live forever in my heart..
Nancy Snow West
Frederick Odell
Classmates Here and Above
On a quiet and snowy Sunday morning I was greeted with this memory of Robert. It reminds me of the fabric of our class, so large, so diverse and yet so close. He was a true war hero who did the right thing at the right time. I believe that is the life we led and the lessons we learned in our years at MHS.
Fred Odell
Betty Balon Niemczyk
I knew him as "Bobby" and still remember the day I read of his death on the USS Forrestal. He gave his life for all of us and remembering him is a great tribute. It's just amazing that it's been so many years. THANJK YOU, Bobby.
Nancy Snow West
the Viet Nam Memorial is part of the U.S. Park Service - I called & asked for the 'rubbing' of Robert's name & they sent it to me.